Feeding mechanism for mills



(No Model.)

P. FUCHS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR MILLS, 6x0. N0. 320,867. Patented June 23,-1885.----

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Unrrnn STATES PATENT PETER FUCHS, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR MILLS, 84,0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,867, dated June 23, 1885.

Application filed April 6, 1885. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER FUCHS, of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Feeding Mechanism for Mills and Similar Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic feed-gates or regulators for grinding-mills, grain-clean ers, and all machines requiring accuracy and uniformity of feed; and theimprovement consists, primarily, in a counter-weight or balance consisting of a tube containing mercury, acting in opposition to the weight of material in the feedhopper.

Other improvements relate to the details of construction, and all will be fully described and explained in connection with the annexed drawings, in which- 7 Figure 1 is an end elevation of hopper provided with my improved device. Fig. 2 is a face elevation. Fig. 3 is an end View showing the gate closed and the mercury-tube in section.

Prior to my invention a great variety of plans have been devised to control and regulate the feed automatically, weights or springs being generally employed to act in opposition to the weight of material in the hopper and to close the gate whenever the supply of ma terial in said hopper should fall belowa given quantity- My invention is based upon the same general principle, but is designed to render the action more sensitive and to permit wider and more convenient adjustment than has hitherto been practicable.

The construction which I have adopted may be better explained in connection with the drawings, wherein Aindicatesa feed-hopper, B a feed-roll, and G a feed-gate, all of which parts may be of ordinary construction.

D indicates a rod or shaft journaled at its ends in boxes E, which are provided with slots a, to permit their horizontal adjustment toward or away from the feed-roll, and upon this rod is hung and secured the feed-gate O. For this purpose the gate is formed or furnished with perforated ears I), through which the rod D passes, and which are provided with set-screws o, by which to secure them, and consequently the gate, at any desired angular adjustment upon the rod. Collars d and c, secured upon the ends of the rod by setscrews f, serve to hold the rod against end movement or play, and the collar 6 is provided with a radial arm, 9, projecting upward therefrom, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The arm g is formed with a ring or eye, h, at its upper end, to receive a tube, F, which, after being adjusted longitudinally through said eye, is clamped or secured therein by a set-screw, The tube F is partially filled with mercury, and is closed by caps applied to its ends. By adjusting the tube through the eye h it is caused to project more or less to one side of the vertical plane of the axis of rod D, which is also the axis or center of motion of arm 9 and tube F, and consequently, as the projection to one side is made greater, the leverage is increased and the weight of the mercury in the tube becomes more effective, as does also the weight of the tube itself.

In practice the arm g and gate 0 are so set relatively to each other that when the gate is open or removed from the feed-roll the desired distance the tube occupies a horizontal position, and the mercury distributes itself over the lower side of the tube uniformly from. end to end. As a consequence, it follows that when the gate swings inward toward the feedroll to close the feed-opening the tube F assumes an inclined position and the mercury flows to one end, thereby causing its weight to act to greater advantage than before.

To limit the movement or opening of the gate'O, I provide astop, G, which may be adjusted to various positions to permit the gate to open more or less, as required. This stop is advisably placed above the tube, over its longer arm, but may be placed below the shorterarm; and it consists simply ofa pivoted arm of crank form, the lateral arm j of which extends outward far enough to engage the tube F and limit its movement. Through the arm j is passed a sliding pin or bolt, H, pressed inward by a spring, K, and arranged to engage in any one of a series of holes or depressions, Z, in the end or face of the hopper, to hold the stop at any desired adjustment. The end of the pin and the depressions Z may be beveled or rounded to permit the pin to leave the depressions upon the application of moderate pressure to arm j,- or the pin may extend outward beyond the outer end of said arm j, and be there furnished with a knob or head by which to withdraw it from the holes or recesses. Instead of this arrangement, a simple pin or peg may be used, in which case it may be made to fit tightly in the holes and thus to retain its position. By adjusting the slotted boxes E to or from the roll, or by changing the relative angles of gate and arm 9, the extent to which the gate may open before the tube F assumes a horizontal position may be varied. Thus the feed may be diminished or increased at will. Care should, however, be ta'ken to prevent the longer arm of the tube from swinging above a horizontal plane, as in that case the mercury would flow to the shorter arm and act in the reverse direction from that desired.

The device, constructed as above set forth, is very sensitive in operation, the body of mercury flowing to the outer end of the tube and remaining there until the weight .of material in the hopper becomes sufficient to overcome the weight of the mercury, where upon the gate swings open and the tube assumes a horizontal position, being prevented by stop G from moving beyond such position. When the tube is in such horizontal position, the mercury, flowing uniformly over the bottom of the tube, exerts less force in opposition to the material in the hopper, which therefore flows freely, and is not retarded by an excessive pressure, as is the case where springs or fixed weights are used. The instant the supply in the hopper becomes too low, however, the tube drops slightly at its outer end, and the'weight thus applied with greater leverage closes the feed-opening promptly and effectively until the supply again reaches the required quantity.

It is obvious that other fluids-sand, shot, rolling balls, or other self-shifting body-may be used instead of mercuryin the tube F; but

mercury is deemed best, because of its great Weight and of the freedom with which it flows. The gate and regulator may be used with any other feeding device as well as with a roller.

I am aware that it has been proposed to provide a feed-hopper with a gate or valve having one of its journals fixed and the other adjustable, and I make no claim to such construction. Under such construction the gate can be moved or adjusted at one end only to align it with the feed-roll; but under my construction the gate is adjustable bodily to and from the feed-roll at both ends, in order not only to align it with the roll, but to adapt it to varying sizes of feed-rolls with which the device is or may be used, and to adapt it to the feeding of greatly varying or different substances.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with a feed-hopper, a gate for controlling the feed-opening, and a tube or holder connected with the gate and containing a shifting weight, substantially as and for the purpose explained.

2. In combination with a feed-hopper and its gate, an arm projecting laterally from the gate and provided with an automaticallyshifting weight, substantially as described and shown.

3. In combination with feed hopper A and gate 0, rod D, provided with arm 9, and tube F, carried by said arm and containing mercury or equivalent shifting weight.

4. In combination with hopper A. its feeding device, and gate 0, provided with pivots or journals, adjustable boxes E forsaid pivots,

whereby the gate may be adjusted bodily to and from the feeding device at both ends.

5. In combination with hopper A, rod D, provided with counter-balance F, and gate 0, secured to said rod by set-screws, whereby the angular positions of the counter-balance and gate may be varied at will.

6. Incombination with hopper A and rod D, gate 0, secured to said rod, and arm 9, carrying counter-balance F and secured to ro dD by means of a set-screw, whereby it may be set to any desired angle upon the rod.

7. In combination with hopper A, gate 0, counter-balance F,provided witha self-shifting weight, and a stop to limit the upward movement of said counter-balance.

8. In combination with hopper A, having recesses Z, gate 0, provided with counter-balance F, and adjustable stop G provided with locking-pin H to enter the recess Z and retain the stop at the required adjustment. I

PETER FUCHS.

Witnesses:

G. M. SOHMIDT, JOSEPH 0011s. 

